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{{short description|Municipality in the Metropolitan City of Rome}}
{{
{{Infobox Italian comune
| name = Valmontone
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| imagesize =
| image_alt =
| image_caption = Valmontone by night
| image_shield = Valmontone-Stemma.gif
| shield_alt =
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| pushpin_label_position =
| pushpin_map_alt =
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▲| coordinates_type = source:plwiki_region:IT_type:city
| coordinates_footnotes =
| region = [[Lazio]]
|
| frazioni =
| mayor_party = [[Partito Democratico|Democratic Party]]
| mayor =
| area_footnotes =
| area_total_km2 = 40.91
| population_footnotes =<ref name="istat">All demographics and other statistics: Italian statistical institute [[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|Istat]].</ref>
| population_total =
| population_as_of =
| pop_density_footnotes =
| population_demonym = Valmontonesi
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| twin1 =
| twin1_country =
| saint = [[Aloysius Gonzaga|St.
| day = June 21
| postal_code = 00038
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}}
'''Valmontone''' is a ''[[comune]]'' (municipality) in the [[
[[File:Valmontone Panorama.JPG|thumb|260px|Valmontone seen by [[Rocca di Cave]]: the massive white building is Palazzo Doria-Pamphilj.]]
==Geography==
The historic part of the town is situated on a [[tuffaceous]] hill, {{convert|303|m|ft|0|abbr=off}}
There are many natural springs due to the high water levels underground. Because of this, the landscape is covered by forest and farmland. To preserve this water system, in Valmontone exists the [[C.E.R.I.]], a center for the prevention and control of hydro-geological risks.▼
▲To preserve this water system, in Valmontone exists the [[C.E.R.I.]], a center for the prevention and control of hydro-geological risks.
==History==
The origins of Valmontone are uncertain: it seems that a village was founded before the rise of [[Rome]] on a hill in the modern municipality of the town, and its ruins were visible until the 18th century. Perhaps these are the remains of the ancient [[Labicum]], which, according to the myth, was founded by [[Glaucus]], [[Minos]]’ son: the name of the village derives from a kind of [[Greece|Greek]] shield.
Labicum was in war against Rome, but at last it was defeated and became a Roman castrum, a fortified castle: other testimonies of the Roman period are the post-station Ad Bivium, situated along the road called [[Via Latina]], a village of coal-makers, some furnaces for tiles and vases, a villa and some other remains (two sarcophagus, memorial plates).
Later on, the castle was rebuilt on the actual site in the Late [[Roman Empire]]. The presence of a Castrum Lateranense goes back to the 1052, while the name of Vallis Montonis (Valmontone means “a valley overhung by a little hill”) appears the first time in a document dated 1139. Valmontone became a fief under the Conti family until the 16th century, when, in 1548, the fief passed under the [[Sforza]] then, in 1632 and for a few years, under the [[Barberini]], until [[Camillo Francesco Maria Pamphili|Camillo Pamphili]] bought Valmontone (1634). The Pamphili family became [[Doria-Pamphilii-Landi|Doria-Pamphili-Landi]] in the 18th century.▼
▲Valmontone became a fief under the Conti family until the 16th century, when, in 1548, the fief passed under the [[Sforza]] then, in 1632 and for a few years, under the [[Barberini]], until [[Camillo Francesco Maria Pamphili|Camillo Pamphili]] bought Valmontone (1634).
In 1843 Valmontone assumed the rank of “city” by decision of [[Pope Gregory XVI]].
On 22 January 1944, during the [[Italian Campaign (World War II)|Italian Campaign]] of the [[World War II|Second World War]], the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] commenced [[Battle of Anzio|Operation Shingle]], an [[Amphibious warfare|amphibious landing]] at [[Anzio]] in an attempt to outflank the
==Main sights==
[[File:Stanza Aria Valmontone.JPG|thumb|250px|left|
[[File:La Colleggiata, Valmontone.JPG|thumb|250px|Colleggiata church.]]
*Valmontone Archeological Museum, situated in the Palazzo Doria-Pamphilj. The ground floor houses a section which introduces the municipal area, the upper floor offers an introduction to the archeological sites and to related topics, through several media. Such topics include the coal miners' village in Colle Carbone, the "Colle dei Lepri" settlement, the "Mansio", the Thermal Baths and the "Colle Pelliccione" furnace.▼
*Collegiate Church of Santa Maria dell'Assunta, built on an ancient [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] church (12th century) with the same name, under Camillo Pamphilj, in the 17th century. The architect was [[Mattia de Rossi]], who rose to prominence under the mentorship of [[Gian Lorenzo Bernini]]: however, de Rossi was for this structure inspired by [[Borromini]]'s design for the Roman church of [[Sant'Agnese in Agone]]. The church has a façade composed by two bell towers and a curved colonnade with four [[Ionic order|Ionic columns]]. The plan is elliptic, with four chapels along each side, including numerous Baroque pictures; in front of the main entrance, between two other chapels, is the apse with the altar.
*Sanctuary of ''
Not far from Valmontone is the large Valmontone Outlet, a shopping center built like an American town, with squares, buildings, streets, a fake train-station, etc. Near this complex is [[Rainbow S.r.l.|Rainbow Magic Land]],
▲'''Palazzo Doria-Pamphilj''' is the baronial palace: in origin it was a fortified castle, until the Barberini decided to replace it with a bigger fortress, and began the construction. When [[Camillo Pamphilj]] bought the fief, he wanted to create a sort of “ideal city”, a Città Panfilia (Pamphiljan Town), including the palace, the nearby church and the other buildings (stables, warehouses, house, etc.). For this reason he called in Valmontone many important artists. On the Piano Nobile (the second floor) there are some important frescoes, divided by themes: the four rooms of Elements, the four dedicated to the [[Continents]] (Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia), the Sala del Principe and two chapels.
▲[[File:Stanza Aria Valmontone.JPG|thumb|250px|left|<center>[[Mattia Preti]], ceiling fresco of Stanza dell'Aria, Palazzo Doria-Pamphilij</center>]]
▲Valmontone Archeological Museum, situated in the Palazzo Doria-Pamphilj. The ground floor houses a section which introduces the municipal area, the upper floor offers an introduction to the archeological sites and to related topics, through several media. Such topics include the coal miners' village in Colle Carbone, the "Colle dei Lepri" settlement, the "Mansio", the Thermal Baths and the "Colle Pelliccione" furnace.
▲'''Fontana del Colle''' was erected in baroque style, and is part of the original Prince Pamphilj project. It is composed by a pedestal with four round-shaped basins, one for each angle, decorated with lion’s heads. On the pedestal there is a column surmounted by the bronze statue of the Labicanus, a Roman warrior, symbol of Valmontone. This fountain was completely destroyed under the World War II bombardment, except one of the basins and the pedestal: the monument was rebuilt in 1968.<br/> [[File:La Colleggiata, Valmontone.JPG|thumb|260px|Valmontone, Colleggiata.]]
▲'''The Church of Sant'Antonio''' was not bombed during World War II, and is the last medieval building of Valmontone. The real name of the church is Santa Maria delle Grazie and was erected in the 9th century: the construction is made with blocks of [[tuff]], with two closed windows, one of them decorated with a little arch.
▲'''Colle Sant'Angelo''': on this hill there are the cemetery of Valmontone and the convent of Sant’Angelo: build on the ruins of a Roman sanctuary, also this was nearly destroyed completely during the last war, and rebuilt immediately. It was erected in the 8th century by the [[Benedictine Order]], and there are some remains of the old monastery in the [[cloister]] and in the [[refectory]]: two bells, one of them of 1523, the other of 1744, are visible in the cloister.
▲'''Santuario della Madonna del Gonfalone''': this church was built in 1508, with a [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] plan, out of the old town's walls. In origin, the sanctuary had 15 altars. Destroyed during World War II, it was rebuilt in the 1950s and the only original part is the [[renaissance]]’s portal with the [[pediment]]. The interior maintains as original the apsidal zone, with the main altar, and a [[fresco]] (1514) of the [[Virgin]] who nurses Jesus.
▲'''Fortified wall's gates'''. Before the last war in Valmontone there were three gates, but one of them, Porta Romana, in Renaissance style, was completely destroyed. The other two are Porta Napoletana and Porta Nuova: the first one was a medieval fortified gate, with two massive towers on sides, partially visible nowadays. The other one was erected on the Via Nuova by Camillo Pamphilj, in baroque style, as a gate on the road to the central town square on the hilltop.
▲Not far from Valmontone is the large Valmontone Outlet, a shopping center built like an American town, with squares, buildings, streets, a fake train-station, etc. Near this complex is [[Rainbow S.r.l.|Rainbow Magic Land]], the biggest [[theme park]] in Europe,{{citation needed|date=December 2011}} opened 26 May 2011 .
==Transportation==
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===Twin towns – Sister cities===
Valmontone is [[
*{{flagicon|ESP}} [[Benifaió]], Spain, since 1987
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Weiler-Simmerberg]], Germany
*{{flagicon|AZE}} [[Goychay (city)|Goychay]], Azerbaijan
==References==
▲{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}
{{commons category|Valmontone}}
==External links==
* [http://www.comunevalmontone.it Official website] {{
<br>
{{Province of Rome}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Cities and towns in Lazio]]
[[Category:
[[Category:Pamphili family]]
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